Suad Al Attar
Suad al Attar is one of the most distinguished artists from the Middle East.She was the first Iraqi woman to have a solo exhibition in Baghdad in 1964 and although she is now based in London her work owes much to Middle Eastern traditions. She presents a most impressive portfolio including art for which she has been awarded first prize at the International Biennale in Cairo and the Miro Award of the Museum of Modern Art in Madrid.
Edna Bizon
Educated at Honor Oak School, London, then St Martins and Camberwell School of Art. She exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1974 and has been a member of the Society of Women Artists since 1987. Paints in oils showing her delight for farm animals alongside her sought after still life paintings. Member of the Guild of Norwich Painters.
Ken Bizon
Trained at Norwich School of Art, the Brixton School of Building and, after service with the Royal Engineers, at Camberwell School of Art. He is a member of the Guild of Norwich Painters and has exhibited at the Royal Academy and Royal Society of British Artists. His oil paintings show his ability to convey light and perspective with his church interiors and landscapes. He also shares his wife Edna's love of painting farm animals.
John Bond
Was born in Cromer, Norfolk. He studied at Norwich School of Art and The Central School of Art, London. His first one-man show was in Guildford in 1975 and numerous exhibitions have followed. His atmospheric studies of shores and pasture, fen and marsh are captured using a rich palette of oils.
Dianne Branscombe RMS, SWA
Attended the University of London Goldsmith's College where she trained as a teacher in art and ceramics. Her work has been exhibited in the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy and in 2004 Dianne became a member of the Guild of Norwich Painters. Her still life paintings are beautifully detailed and rich in colour and range from miniatures to larger pieces.
William Calladine
Studied at Derby College of Art in Technical Graphics. Joined Rolls Royce Limited and later the Royal Aeronautical Establishment at Farnborough. In 1974 he resigned his position, electing to paint for his living. He is a founder member of the Guild of Norwich painters. His technique is strongly influenced by the classical Dutch school and he continues to produce many varied works of high quality ranging from Broadland landscapes and marine paintings to his outstanding still life compositions.
Rosemary Carruthers
Studied at Canterbury and Bideford Art Colleges. From the early 1970's she has exhibited countrywide. The New English Art Club and Royal Academy have accepted her work. She works in gouache, acrylic and oil, with subjects taken from everyday life - figures relaxing in domestic interiors, musicians and corners of tables viewed through doors and windows as well as parts of gardens and landscapes.
Studied at Cardiff College of Art, Stourbridge College of Art and Central London Photographic School. Paul started work as a photographer at the Natural History Museum in London and was there until 1986 when he began to paint professionally. Specialises in marine painting, particularly the area of modern yacht racing. Also paints and draws figure and dance which has been developed by his work at Sadlers Wells and with The Birmingham Royal Ballet.
William Garfit
Born 1944 in Cambridgeshire. Studied at the Cambridge School of Art, awarded a scholarship to Byam School of Art , followed by a postgraduate three years at the Royal Academy Schools. Specializes in sporting river and water landscapes and also enjoys painting the North Norfolk coastal landscape. Always paints on location and is particularly interested in the mood and character of his subject. Every painting is the stage for the onlooker's imagination as he shares the feeling and presence of the place.
Robert Heindel (1938-2005)
An American artist who became synonymous with the world of ballet in a way that has earned him widespread recognition and admiration in both the dance and the art world alike. His studies of dancers in rehearsal are the result of numerous personal invitations from many of the world's most famous ballet companies with whom he subsequently worked. His paintings and sketches feature in many private and prestigious collections worldwide.
Ian Houston
Born at Gravesend in 1934, he studied at the Royal College of Music. In 1964 he moved to Norfolk with his wife and family, where, under the guidance of Edward Seago, he became committed to a career as a painter. He is a member of the Guild of Norwich Painters. Ian's travels are depicted in his work, which show powerful skies, landscapes and coastal scenes.
David Ord Kerr DIP.R.A.S.
David has always been interested in natural history, particularly in birds and small mammals. He was commissioned to paint over one hundred watercolour studies to illustrate a book on American birds and he worked as expedition artist as part of the Wallace Expedition to the Amazon. He was chosen as one of one hundred Artists from around the world commissioned to produce works to be sold to raise money for the World Wide Fund. David is a member of the Guild of Norwich Painters.
Willi Kissmer
An ephemeral piece of silk clinging to a lithe female form is the unmistakable hallmark of Willi Kissmer. Typically only a portion of the head is visible, creating anonymity and timelessness. His attention to detail is remarkable with a style and form uniquely his own. Forever imaginative, often deeply mysterious and exuding a constant blend of the exotic and the erotic. Born in Germany in 1951. Studied etching, lithography, printmaking and Fine Art. Exhibitions include USA, Great Britain, USSR, Germany and the Netherlands.
Raymond Leech
Born in Great Yarmouth in 1949. Studied Art and Design at Great Yarmouth College of Art 1965-70. It is people who command the eye of artist Raymond Leech. Strong images borne of accomplished technique and thoughtful compassion quickly grab the attention, but the deeper quality of work springs from Raymond's ability to breathe life, attitude and personality into figures. Raymond seizes the opportunity to explore characters on view. “A successful painting is not just a picture, but captures the air around the subject and the atmosphere as well,” he says. Member of the Guild of Norwich Painters, RSMA, East Anglian Group of Marine Artists and has exhibited with ROI.
Jane Lewis
A curious air of mystery is apparent within the crafted work of Jane Lewis and when substitutes will not suffice she often constructs her own intricate props. Born in 1953 she studied at Hornsey College of Fine Art and The Slade School of Art. Has worked as scenic artist for the BBC and has lectured at several art schools. Exhibited widely both in group and solo exhibitions including Royal Museum, Canterbury, Trinity Arts Centre, Tunbridge Wells and the Mall Galleries, London.
Olga Makrushenko
A Russian artist, born in Moscow in the second half of the 20th century. Educated first at the Moscow Institute of Engineering and Physics, specialising in mathematics, and then in the State Pedagogical Institute, Department of Drawing and Painting. Working in botanical illustration, Olga paints much from life - early spring crocuses and hyacinths to autumn's chrysanthemums and fruit. This makes the plants on her graphic sheets look alive and enables onlookers to observe each leaf and each stamen with the painter's eye.
Bennett Oates
Oil Painter of powerful images of classic flower studies and impressionistic landscapes. Born in London in 1928. He studied at Wimbledon School of Art 1934-6 with Gerald Cooper, then at the Royal College of Art 1948-51 with Ruskin Spear and Carel Weight. President of the Guild of Norwich Painters.
Nicholas Simington
Born in Antwerp of Irish parents. Mature student at Glasgow School of Art where he studied under David Donaldson RSA. Paints figures and still life subjects in oil and gouache. It is impossible to view the paintings of Nicholas Simington without being totally captivated by the mood and mystery of all the compositions. Immediately recognisable Nicholas' palette is based around the browns he so loves. Lately there has been progression and more emphasis on brighter colour and light which has enhanced the ambience of his work. Through his calm drawing and range of colours, subtle harmonies result along with true serenity, which is quite exceptional in contemporary painting.
Christine Slade
Detailed pastels of marine subjects display her superior knowledge of boats and an obvious passion for the waterways and coastline of East Anglia. Born in Hertfordshire in 1943 and trained in the Creative Department of a London advertising agency. Having visited and been captivated by East Anglia since the 1960's Christine and her family moved to Colchester in 1982. She gave up her job as an estate agent in 1988 to become a full time artist. Member of the Guild of Norwich Painters.
Gerard Stamp
As a schoolboy Gerard would cycle into the countryside to sketch churches and landscapes, with Pevsner's Buildings of England and the Shell Guide to Norfolk in his saddle bag. He could often be found in the Castle Art Gallery, studying Cotman watercolours. This childhood obsession never left him, even through a successful career in advertising. Stamp's powerful watercolours and charcoal drawings are firmly rooted in his deep passion for architecture. He has exhibited at Mall Galleries, RWS and New Grafton Summer Exhibition. His first solo show in 2005 was a sell-out and he was awarded the Archant Purchase Prize that year at the inaugural Norwich Open Art Exhibition.
Adrian Taunton
Although best known for his East Anglian landscapes showing dramatic skies and open horizons he frequently draws on his experiences from other parts of the world. Born in Norwich in 1939, the eldest son of the well-known painter John Taunton. He was educated at Norwich School and Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, where he read history. Following his degree he worked in industry until, in 1985 he began painting, following a family tradition going back several generations to William Taunton (1809-1898). The Royal Society of Marine Artists and the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolour have accepted his work.
Peter Wileman V.P. ROI
Peter Wileman was born in Middlesex in 1946. His style of painting is bold and vigorous, both in the use of colour and the handling of paint, as he explores the effects of light on his subject. Seeking atmosphere through light and colour he works in varying degrees of abstraction. Peter's work has been shown at exhibitions of the Royal Society of Marine Artists, the New English Art Club and the Royal Institute of Oil Painters. He was elected to full membership of the ROI in 2001, is currently Vice President, and has been a prizewinner at its annual exhibitions. He won the Frank Herring award in 2000 and the Cornelissen Prize in 2003 for outstanding work.